Why Appealing to Emotion is Good for Your Blog

Last updated: April 2, 2014 by Peter Petreski

Whether you like to admit it or not, most buying decision you make has some sort of an emotional basis. It’s a fact that we humans are emotional beings and in general our emotions govern almost all of the thought patterns we have and decisions we make.

So it is no wonder that in the field of marketing, the cultivation of emotions to generate a desired response is widely practiced. The reason why copywriters and advertisers in general use emotive messages in their targeting campaigns is simply because it works.

People will buy your product or read your blog posts based on emotional triggers. They may often tell you otherwise by putting a logical spin to the decisions they made when they purchased whatever it is they bought, but logic was not the basis for their decision – the emotional reasons were.

Ask any of the big-shot Internet marketers and entrepreneurs and they’ll tell you that the main niche categories from which they make most of their money are in the following areas:

Health and fitness

Love and relationships

Finance and money

The common thread which runs through all of the above categories is that they are highly emotionally charged topics for most humans. This is because they all contain elements which trigger two of the biggest emotions in people: fear and greed. (They can also trigger other emotions (like love) but not to the extent of fear and greed.)

It can be argued that greed is just a different manifestation of fear because a person is usually greedy out of fear of failure or not being good enough or fear of missing out on something or losing something they have.

Irrespective of the type of emotions triggered, the point is that as a blogger you should be aware of this human trait so that you can apply this knowledge to your articles and copywriting in a way which is favorable for you and your customers or readers.

Rather than preying on the emotions of people to sell your products you can take another perspective. That is, you can use your new-found knowledge about emotions and marketing to resonate with your readers and connect with them.

This also applies even if you’re not selling anything but you simply want to attract more like-minded readers to your blog. As a blogger you are usually telling a story or offering information or an opinion through your writing.

The most successful bloggers are those who have made a connection on an emotional level with their audience. Connecting on the emotional level with your readers is important whether or not you are selling something.

For instance if you are simply blogging about a subject you are passionate about, the words you type will be your medium with which to build the emotional connection with people.

It’s this connection that keeps the readers coming back and it’s the same connection which makes humans feel that they belong or that they are part of a group of people who “are in the same boat” or who think and act like they do.

For those who want to sell products or services via their blog, appealing to the emotional dimension in people is fundamental to the success of the business. As mentioned earlier, humans base their decision to buy something on an emotional level and they will often buy from people they trust and feel comfortable with or from those they believe will satisfy an emotional need.

Below is a brief list of some basic psychological pointers which you can consider if you want to use emotion to attract readers and customers:

1. Meet the emotional needs of people

It is better to fulfill the emotional needs of people rather than trying to come up with ways to trick or cajole them into buying something from you. That is, appeal to their goals by offering a product or solution which will help them get what they want or need.

For example if you’re trying to sell training videos which show people how to create and run an affiliate membership site, highlight some of the “intangible benefits” of your product. In other words show people the possibility that by buying your product, they might achieve their goal.

2. Highlight the value of what your are offering

All people despite their level of wealth, look for value in something before they buy it. Value is a relative quality and depends on what you’re selling and how much it is compared to similar products.

Your aim should be to convince people that the value of your product is at least equal to or greater than the price you are selling it for. The perceived value of your product by your potential customers is the most important thing because people’s perceptions are usually governed by their emotions.

3. Encourage social interaction on your site

Connecting socially is a strong human predisposition, and creating an environment on your site which allows your readers to interact with you and/or each other can be emotionally beneficial. Making yourself available and making it possible for people to ask you and (each other) questions helps foster a sense of belonging and builds connections.

I hope that this article has at least made you think about the role of emotions in marketing and human relationships. If you can cater for the emotional needs of your readers then you will go a long way in succeeding to gain their trust and hopefully their business.

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Comments (6 responses)

Point 1 definitely resonated with me. In my work, I’ve found that significant emotional connection is far more powerful than information. People are moved by their feelings more than their logic. So it’d be wise to remember that in our personal and professional lives.

Gary Starkmansays:

April 29, 2014 at 5:53 pm

There’s a really good TED talk about appealing to ones emotion to sell a product, rather then just describing a product and trying to sell it.

Emily Jacksonsays:

April 25, 2014 at 8:05 am

This post is chock full of psychological goodness. Decisions made on emotional factors have been used by marketers for ages. You would do well with writing a post about psychological “triggers” that help monetize your business.

Thank you for sharing your ideas,

Shekinah Holmessays:

April 10, 2014 at 7:58 pm

Great post:) Actually, blog posts must also connect with emotions to be more effective. Who wouldn’t want to have something to read and touch their emotions?

Rohit Jainsays:

April 6, 2014 at 9:15 am

Hello Peter,
Its a valid point, Emotions certainly work online similar to how they work when various marketing campaigns are around a cause or purpose which creates fear among people to take a initiative. Fear that not taking certain precautions in your lifestyle certainly is a big seller for health.

Victor Mbazigwesays:

April 4, 2014 at 8:06 pm

The need for you blogs to have an emotion is really a “BIG” requirement because it signifies that you just not only mean “business” but you also aim to establish rapport to your business and build relationships to other people. It also goes to show that the one who markets and runs the business is a “human” not a silly robot programmed to blabbers only about business, business, business (that’s pretty boring and annoying at the same time). Thanks for sharing this valuable insights and for allowing me to share mine.

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